Sustainability in Action

Growing our Future - Primary Industry Champions

Over the past few months the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has filmed interviews with 41 “everyday” champions across the primary industries as part of its Growing our Future – primary industry champions initiative. The aim of the initiative is to encourage young people to consider employment in the primary industries across the full supply chain, as well as to build overall public awareness about the primary industries and their importance to New Zealand's future.

To launch the initiative, we have created an overview video that features our primary industry champions and a few well-known New Zealanders who have a connection to the primary industries. The overview video along with some of the first videos are now available on the MPI website.

It’s estimated we will need 50,000 more people in the primary industries within the next decade. In addition, the future of work in the primary industries will be more specialist than it has been in the past, which means we will need people with more training and qualifications. The Growing our Future initiative is part of a larger programme of work for MPI that is focused on the future needs of the primary industries.

If you have ideas for promoting Growing our Future please contact the MPI communication advisor Shelly Biswell at shelly.biswell@mpi.govt.nz or 021 985 843.